The review was initiated after staff determined that the conditions were structured similarly to the site plan conditions—and were treating school projects more like mixed-use projects. The large number of standards were creating delays in construction and the need for use permit amendments to address some of the complications caused by the conditions, which resulted in increased costs.

County staff worked with Arlington Public Schools to set 19 baseline conditions, with two additional conditions that would be applied on a case-by-case basis. The conditions are also expected to be modified in every project, in recognition that no two school projects are alike.

For example, in the Reed School use permit review, modifications were made to two of the 19 baseline conditions (outreach during construction; streetscape and utility improvements) to meet the needs of the specific proposal. Then, four site-specific conditions were added, bringing the conditions total to 23.

The Arlington County Board today unanimously elected Christian Dorsey its 2019 Chair. Libby Garvey was named vice chair.

Arlington County Board Chair Christian Dorsey

Dorsey, elected to the Board in 2015, served as vice chair in 2018. He represents Northern Virginia as a principal director on the board of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, and represents Arlington County on other regional bodies including the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments. Read Christian Dorsey’s biography.

Focus on equity

After a sobering look at the County’s near-term budget challenges, Dorsey called for a focus on equity in County policies, both to “repair the damage that inattention to equity has already produced,” and to ensure that going forward, County policies address disparities in health and wellness outcomes, educational achievement and “many indicators of one’s ability to lead a secure and fulfilling life.”

The County must collect and analyze data “so that broad successes don’t mask real challenges people face,” Dorsey said. County government must “recognize and report on who benefits from and who is burdened by the actions of government, including budgets; land use decisions; appropriations; legislation and civic engagement. “

Saying education and dialogue is needed to repair damage already done in the community, Dorsey promised to support “to the greatest possible extent,” Virginia Humanities’ Changing the Narrative program, supporting educational and dialogue opportunities “to understand historical and current inequities in our community.”

Warning on Fiscal Year 2020 Budget

Amazon’s decision to expand its headquarters into Arlington – with a planned $2.5 billion investment and creation of 25,000 jobs over the next decade — “is a significant catalyst toward our emerging from austerity budgets,” Dorsey said. But for Amazon “to serve as a springboard for more opportunities for all Arlingtonians,” he said, “we must expertly manage its growth.” Changes that Amazon brings to the built environment must “reflect the vision of our existing plans,” Dorsey said, and the County must “prevent the displacement of residents and businesses, or the diminishment of the quality of life for all who already call Arlington home.”

Amazon’s arrival will not immediately address the challenges posed by the ongoing high office vacancy rate that has weakened the County’s tax base, increased Metro funding needs and increased local funding obligations stemming from the state’s welcome decision to expand Medicaid coverage, Dorsey cautioned. In FY 2020, he noted, the County faces a combined County-Arlington Public Schools budget gap for Fiscal Year 2020 of as much as $70 million.

Services costs exceed revenues

The County’s recent resident satisfaction survey produced high marks for County services, but today “we are in the unfortunate position of having (costs of services) significantly exceed our revenues,” Dorsey said. “We need our partners at APS to find significant savings, and we will still be left with needing to either fundamentally reduce the services that Arlingtonians expect and value, or raise revenues through a property tax increase…just to deliver the same levels of service,” Dorsey said. Read Christian Dorsey’s Jan. 2 remarks.

The County Manager will present his proposed FY 2020 Budget to the County Board in February. The Board will then launch an extensive public review process, culminating in the Board adopting the budget at its April 2019 meeting. The FY 2020 Fiscal Year begins on July 1, 2019.

Vice Chair Libby Garvey

Libby Garvey, elected to the Board in March 2012, was named vice chair by her colleagues on the Board. Garvey previously has served a term as County Board Chair. She serves on the Northern Virginia Regional Commission, Northern Virginia Transportation Commission, Metropolitan Region Council of Governments and other regional bodies.

“I believe we need to figure out together, as a community, what we want Arlington’s future to be,” Garvey said, noting that “everyone says they want to preserve what they love about Arlington, but for some people that means a quiet, tree-lined street with single family homes, and for others it means a bustling urban landscape with bikes, scooters, restaurants, food trucks, and lots of people moving around pretty much 24/7. For everyone, it means affordability.”

Garvey said her priorities include getting through “some tough budget years” by focusing on efficiencies and priorities “in a way I don’t remember us doing.” She said she looks forward to continuing to provide “smaller, more intimate settings for discussions of broader challenges and potential solutions, and to improving civic dialogue and general civility in community discussions. Read Libby Garvey’s Jan. 2 remarks.

Board Member Katie Cristol

Katie Cristol called for revising the County’s zoning ordinance to “allow different, diverse and more affordable home types throughout the County, not just in our commercial areas.” Amazon’s impending arrival “has focused our community energy on protecting our middle class from being priced out permanently, Cristol said. “We can’t squander the opportunity to tackle this hard and important work in the year ahead.”

Because the region has not grown its housing supply to match its economy in recent years, Cristol said, “we’re all feeling the consequences: an affordable housing crisis for our middle class; displacement of our working class and low-income residents.” Arlington “may be only one jurisdiction in our big region, but I know we can be leaders in establishing a better way forward.”

Cristol said she also is looking forward to the Board acting on zoning ordinance and childcare code amendments in 2019 to increase the amount of quality, affordable childcare available in Arlington.

Board Member Erik Gutshall

Noting that “2019 begins for Arlington with both awesome opportunity and daunting challenges,” as it readies for Amazon’s arrival and tackles a difficult budget for FY 2020, Erik Gutshall said that whether the year will realize the County’s “wildest dreams,” or “our worst fears,” will depend on “the choices we make, and the leadership this Board provides this coming year.”

Arlington has spent decades “preparing for Amazon’s arrival,” through long-range planning efforts and investment infrastructure, Gutshall said, but he understands why “some see Amazon primarily exacerbating our worst fears,” as they wonder what its impact may be on crowded schools, open space, regional transportation infrastructure and affordable housing.

Gutshall cited the need for a multi-year visioning and planning effort to develop a long-range comprehensive schools and community facilities plan, modernizing the County’s zoning “to allow market-driven housing forms for the middle class,” and updating the Community Energy Plan as his priorities in 2019. He proposed that the County join the Green New Deal movement to transform the economy “to tackle the twin crises of inequality and climate change.” Read Erik Gutshall’s Jan. 2 remarks.

Board Member Matt de Ferranti

Matt de Ferranti, the newest member of the Board, said he will apply four standards to his consideration of an agreement with Amazon: that it provide a significant net benefit to our whole community; that an agreement further the County’s goals with respect to housing, transportation and schools; that small businesses are fairly considered as we implement an agreement; and that the County conduct a full, fair, and transparent process for considering an agreement.

de Ferranti also identified his priorities for 2019, which include bringing down the 19 percent office vacancy rate; providing the funding to build the schools to educate every child well; addressing housing affordability via creativity and relentlessness on affordable homeownership and rental units; putting the County back in a regional leadership role on climate change, renewable energy and our environment, and working to end child hunger in Arlington. Read Matt deFerranti’s Jan. 2 remarks.

Following the Organizational Meeting, the Board joined the Arlington County Civic Federation at its General Membership meeting, held in the County Board Room. Board members fielded questions from Civic Federation members on a range of issues.

The Arlington County Board today approved a contract to improve pedestrian safety and accessibility along a segment of Wilson Boulevard, bordering the Ashton Heights and Ballston-Virginia Square neighborhoods.

“Wilson Boulevard is one of Arlington’s most heavily used east-west arteries,” Arlington CountyBoard Chair Katie Cristol said. “Making it safer and more accessible for pedestrians furthers our vision of Arlington as a walkable community for all residents.”

The Board voted unanimously, in adopting the Consent Agenda, to approve a $1 million contract, including contingency, with Sagres Construction Corp. for Phase 3A of the Wilson Boulevard Streetscape Improvements Project, which is improving one of the County’s most heavily traveled east-west arterial streets.

Project began in 2009

The County has completed two segments since the project began in 2009, improving pedestrian safety along a 1,600-foot stretch from N. Quincy Street to N. Monroe Street. The contract approved today by the Board will improve an additional 900 feet of Wilson Boulevard between N. Monroe Street and N. Kenmore Street. The project is being phased to limit the disruption caused by construction.

Improvements will include realigning the street, widening sidewalks, installing new streetlights and constructing curb extensions. An ADA-compliant crossing will be installed at the N. Kenmore Street intersection, along with a rapid flashing beacon to increase the visibility of the new crossing. Construction is expected to start in spring 2019, with completion anticipated in summer 2020.

Remaking Wilson Boulevard

Improvements to Wilson Boulevard were identified in the Virginia Square Sector Plan, adopted by the County Board in 2002. The Sector Plan recommended improving the street’s character and encouraging a more walkable community with safer, wider sidewalks that meet the latest design guidelines, and by installing sidewalk nubs to reduce crosswalk distances.

The Wilson Boulevard project is fulfilling the Sector Plan recommendations, which also include making the travel lanes more consistent by aligning the edges of the street curb. The project’s final phase, which will improve the section between N. Kenmore Street and 10th Street N. and the 10th Street/N. Ivy Street intersection, is currently in the early design phase. It is being coordinated with a utility under-grounding project that will bury utility lines in this area. The final phase of the streetscape improvements will begin construction after completion of the utility under-grounding project.

To read the staff report, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 14 on the agenda for the Saturday, Dec. 15, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting.

]]>New Plan Will Guide Four Mile Run Valley’s Futurehttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/new-plan-four-mile-run-valley/
Thu, 13 Dec 2018 14:22:23 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19858A new area plan is in place to guide the future of Arlington’s Four Mile Run Valley, home to some of the last land in the County zoned for industrial use.

The plan adopts a “retention and adaptive reuse” approach that aims to preserve and enhance the area’s natural resources and open spaces while supporting future development that is consistent with the area’s industrial character and cultural heritage.

Policy directives and design guidelines outlined in the plan aim to achieve a number of common goals:

The County Board adopted the plan on Nov. 17 after more than two years of work by County staff, a citizen-led working group and the nearby community. Together with a Park Master Plan adopted in September, the plan spells out a unified, community-supported vision for the future.

Why was a plan necessary?

The 95-acre Four Mile Run Valley is located between the Nauck Revitalization District, where new mixed-use development is planned around a Town Square, and Shirlington Village, which has grown from a neighborhood shopping strip to a major mixed-use hub with housing, office, retail, arts and civic uses, as well as a Bus Transit Center.

Over time, businesses in the 4MRV area have shifted from industrial to service commercial uses, and the most recent new developments include public storage and a small brewery, which were approved by-right under existing zoning.

In the absence of planning guidance for this area, piecemeal development was likely to continue. Development of an Area Plan provided an opportunity for community dialogue about the future of the area, considering the built and natural environments, potential future public and private investments, and how those elements would work together.

Plan developed in collaboration with the community

Public engagement was central to the development of the plan. Staff employed all four levels of engagement identified in the County’s new Six-Step Public Engagement Guide — communicate, consult, involve and collaborate.

From the beginning of the process, public engagement included bi-monthly meetings with the Board-appointed Four Mile Run Valley Working Group, which included representatives from the three neighboring civic associations, property and business owners, area non-profit organizations, advisory boards and commissions. The group met more than 30 times to review and comment on staff and consultant analysis, preliminary concepts and a draft Policy Framework, a draft Park Master Plan and the draft Area Plan.

Staff also held a community forum, a community open house and numerous check-ins and review sessions with the nearby civic associations — Nauck, Shirlington and Douglas Park. The County Board held two work sessions as the planning effort progressed, one in May 2017 and another in February 2018.

Works in tandem with recently adopted Park Master Plan

As the County worked on its plan for the broader Four Mile Run Valley area, it also developed concepts for the future of the area’s three parks — Jennie Dean Park, Shirlington Park and Shirlington Dog Park. The Board adopted a Park Master Plan for the three facilities at its September 2018 meeting.

Among other things, the Park Master Plan identifies replacement and realignment (exclusively for park purposes) of existing park features and the addition of new park amenities to meet the growing demand for active recreation, cultural resources and natural resource preservation. It also details the placement, orientation, materials and programming of open space and park amenities. And it makes recommendations for park area circulation, multimodal transportation and parking needs, environmental considerations, cultural amenities and opportunities to re-naturalize and integrate Four Mile Run stream into the parks.

The project added a 10-foot-wide paved trail along the west side of Washington Boulevard in the Penrose neighborhood. The new trail section links with the project’s first phase, built in 2009 between Arlington Boulevard and South Walter Reed Drive, and provides a new north-south connection between the Arlington Boulevard Trail and Columbia Pike. The total length of the trail, for both phases, is approximately 4,000 feet, or 0.75 miles.

“Completion of the Washington Boulevard Trail provides a new opportunity for residents to safely and comfortably travel by bicycle, expands access to Towers Park, and continues our efforts to build a transportation system that provides a wealth of environmentally sustainable travel options,” said Arlington County Board Member Erik Gutshall.

The new trail is a facility for transportation and recreation, and it helps provide more convenient access to Towers Park for community neighbors. It was constructed by Arlington County on land owned and managed by local agencies, the Virginia Department of Transportation and the U.S. Navy.

Construction for the trail’s second phase began in January 2018 and was completed in 11 months. The total cost for design and construction was approximately $3 million. The project was funded by Arlington County and the Virginia Department of Transportation.

County updating bike plan

The Washington Boulevard Trail is part of Arlington’s developing bikeway network that will link existing and planned trails on the north, south and east sides of the County.

Plans for the bikeway network are being updated as part of the County’s revision of the Bicycle Element in its Master Transportation Plan. The update is looking at ways to further improve mobility, safety, comfort and convenience for cyclists and to expand the attractiveness of cycling for getting around Arlington.

]]>Arlington County Board November Recessed Meeting Actionshttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/arlington-county-board-november-recessed-meeting-actions/
Wed, 28 Nov 2018 04:10:15 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19693The Arlington County Board today approved Virginia Hospital Center’s expansion plans, a $3.025 million loan to renovate senior housing in Ballston, and guidance that will set the parameters for the County Manager’s proposed Fiscal Year 2020 Budget at its November Recessed Meeting.

The Arlington County Board today approved Virginia Hospital Center’s plan to expand its N. George Mason Drive campus onto the neighboring Edison site. The approval allows VHC to move forward with acquiring the Edison site from the County under the terms of a 2015 land purchase agreement between the hospital and the County.

VHC plans to build a new outpatient building and a parking garage on the 5.6-acre Edison site, which is bounded by N. George Mason Drive, 19th Street N., and N. Edison Street.

“Virginia Hospital is an integral part of this community, and its expansion will enable it to continue to provide medical care to our growing community,” Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol said. “Although this final design does not resolve all community concerns, the Board appreciated the changes realized in the design in recent weeks, consistent with our September guidance, to improve the physical buildings’ relationship to the surrounding neighborhoods.”

The Board voted 3 to 2 to approve a rezoning, site plan and use permit for the project. Board Members John Vihstadt and Erik Gutshall voted no, saying that the hospital could have done more to fulfill guidance the Board gave in September and to make design improvements sought by nearby neighbors.

VHC expansion: N. George Mason Drive view.

The Board deferred consideration of VHC’s plan at its September 22, 2018 meeting, asking that the hospital make specific design changes, including redesigning two proposed pedestrian connections within the site.

VHC and three civic associations neighboring the site, John M. Langston, Tara-Leeway Heights and Waycroft-Woodlawn, met four times to discuss the revised pedestrian connections and other community requests aimed at mitigating the expansion’s impacts.

The revised design for the east-west connection through the site relocates the proposed sidewalk to the south side of the service drive, as requested in the motion. The sidewalk will be built along the existing Green Garage and the medical office building at 1715 N. George Mason Drive. Vertical mesh screens will be added to the garage façade along the path.

VHC also redesigned the north-south connection to provide an inviting, publicly-accessible path from 19th Street to the interior of the VHC campus. A small plaza will be built between the 19th Street sidewalk and the north-south connection.

About the planned expansion

VHC plans to replace the existing Edison site buildings with a new seven-story outpatient building and a six-story parking garage. By moving existing outpatient uses to the Edison site, the hospital will free up its existing site for a planned 101-bed expansion of the hospital.

VHC expansion: entry plaza.

The approved expansion is the first step in the hospital’s longer-term plans to focus in-patient care on the south side of its campus and outpatient care on the north side.

Learn more about the expansion plans and VHC’s land agreement with the County, and read the press release from the Board’s September 22, 2018 public hearing and deferral of VHC’s proposed expansion.

To read the staff report on this issue, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 33 A-C on the agenda for the Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018 Recessed County Board Meeting.

Arlington youth health crises hospitalization diversion pilot

In a separate action, the Board voted unanimously to accept $500,000 in funding from VHC for a pilot program aimed at diverting Arlington youth with behavioral health crises from hospitalization. VHC will pay $100,000 annually for five years for the pilot. Arlington County will absorb any ancillary costs. The funding will fund one licensed clinician who will provide crisis services, pre-screening and intensive care coordination.

“ Thanks to the hard work of our Community Services Board – citizens and staff – the County and Virginia Hospital Center are now positioned to partner to meet the critical needs of our young people in crisis,” Cristol said.

To read the staff report, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 34 on the agenda for the Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018 Recessed County Board Meeting.

The money will be used to meet an emerging community need by providing services to children, youth and young adults up to age 22 in psychiatric crisis.

The Arlington County Board today approved a new elementary school for up to 732 students at the Reed site, 1644 N. McKinley Road, in the Westover neighborhood.

The Board voted unanimously to approve a use permit amendment for Arlington Public Schools to renovate and expand the existing Reed School/Westover Library to create a neighborhood elementary school. The project is part of APS’s ongoing effort to meet the challenge of continued growth in student enrollment.

“The plan for this new elementary school has been developed through an extensive, year-long community process,” Arlington County Board Chair Katie Cristol said. “This new school will help meet the pressing need for more seats across our school system, and will also be an important civic presence in the Westover neighborhood.”

The School Board has approved a budget not to exceed $55 million for the new school, funded by voter-approved bonds. Construction is expected to begin in fall 2019, and the new school is scheduled to open in time for the 2021-22 school year.

Planned Reed site elementary school overview

The approved plan included modifications of the Zoning Ordinance requirements for height, setbacks and parking. The new school will include two-and-four story heights, for a total of 112,919 square feet of floor space.

The addition will include school administrative offices, classrooms, a gymnasium, kitchen, cafeteria, teacher support areas and other building support spaces. The renovated areas will include new music/art rooms, a library, classrooms, teacher support areas and other building support spaces.

To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 27 A on the agenda for the Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting.

Building design features include:

A universally accessible civic entrance plaza in front of the main school entrance

A multi-purpose gymnasium that will replace the small existing gym

Extensive renovations of the two-story portion of the existing building

Preservation of 159 trees

Reconfiguration and consolidation of the existing playground and two full-sized basketball courts into a play area on the northeast side of the school. The new play area will have one full-sized basketball court, a smaller court with one basketball hoop, an updated playground area and a tree-shaded lawn area.

Retention of the existing treed area in the northwest section of the open space, its playground and play area as it is

Upgrade of landscape and stormwater management facilities for the playground and fields

Background

The original Walter Reed Elementary School was built in 1938. It closed in 1984 and in July 2007, the County Board approved a use permit to build an addition to the former school and a new branch of the public library. The existing building housed The Children’s School and Integration Station program until June 2018, and has served as the interim home for the Stratford Program since July 2018.

Public engagement

The planning process began in October 2017 with joint review by the Public Facilities Review Committee and Building Level Planning Committee. The committees held 16 meetings to review the project as it progressed through concept and schematic design to use permit application, taking public comment along the way. The APS Board approved the schematic design following a public hearing. The proposed project also was reviewed by several County advisory commissions, including the Energy and Conservation, Parks and Recreation, Urban Forestry Transportation and Planning commissions.

To read the staff report on this item, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 27 on the agenda for the Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting. Visit the APS website for detailed information on the planning process for the school.

“We are glad to be moving forward on these two priority projects as the County and the community think about the future of the Neighborhood Conservation program,” Chair Katie Cristol said.

The $1.84 million Cherrydale project will improve N. Monroe Street, between 17th Street North and 19th Street North, by adding sidewalks, curbs and gutters between 17th Street North and 19th Street North, and ADA-compliant ramps at each intersection. Bump outs will be added to the intersections, to shorten crossing distances for pedestrians.

The $1.08 million Arlington Forest project will make improvements to Edison Park, 213 N. Edison Street. Existing play areas will be renovated, two provide a play area for children ages two-to-five, and another for children ages five-to-12, and an area with swings.

New furnishings, fencing and a gate separating the playgrounds from the street will be installed, along with ramps, railings and walls to improve accessibility from the street and to the park trail. Native plants will be added, and storm-water management improved.

“The NCAC has been a very successful resource and liaison group for Arlington County residents for over 50 years, helping to improve and enhance neighborhoods with strong community engagement,” said Alexandra Bocian, Chair of the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee. “The NCAC has been reviewing options for funding smaller projects while the program evaluation takes place in 2019. The committee will be actively involved in the process and looks forward to participating in the review.”

Funding for these projects is provided by the voter-approved 2016 Neighborhood Conservation Bond. The projects were among four considered by the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee from among 33 first-priority neighborhood projects.

In 2019, the County will assess and review the Neighborhood Conservation program, a resident initiated planning program by which neighborhoods identify safety and beautification projects, then submit them for consideration by the NCAC and the County Board. The review and assessment will be undertaken by County staff and a County Manager Working Group that together will focus on the mission of the program, project and planning implementation processes, innovation and emerging technologies and the role of civic engagement. Recommendations will be presented to the County Manager by the end of 2019.

The Board voted unanimously to approve funding the two projects. To read the staff report on this item, visit the County website. Scroll to Item No. 17 on the Consent Agenda for the Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018 Regular County Board Meeting.

]]>November County Board Meeting Agenda Highlightshttps://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/release/november-county-board-meeting-agenda-highlights/
Fri, 09 Nov 2018 14:34:00 +0000https://newsroom.arlingtonva.us/?post_type=news_release&p=19454The Arlington County Board will consider dozens of items at its November 2018 meeting. The Regular Meeting is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17. Due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, the Recessed Meeting will be held Tuesday, Nov. 27. The County Board meeting is held on the third floor at the Ellen M. Bozman Government Center, 2100 Clarendon Blvd., and is open to the public. Visit the County website for information on speaking at a Regular County Board Meeting.

Watch it Live

All County Board meetings are live-streamed on the County website, and broadcast live on the County’s cable channel, ATV, with live captioning. You can watch the Board Meetings on Comcast 25 & 1085 (HD), and Verizon FiOS 39 & 40, or live-streamed on YouTube. Videos of Board meetings are archived on the County website (with captions and reports) and on YouTube.

Saturday, Nov. 17 – County Board Regular Meeting

(Note: The meeting starts at 8:30 a.m. with public comment. Some reports will be posted closer to the meeting date.)

New Elementary School at Reed site: The Board will hold a public hearing and consider a proposal to renovate and expand the Reed School/Westover Library building to create a new neighborhood elementary school. The new school would serve up to 732 students.

Arlington Public Schools is seeking an amendment to a use permit approved in 2007. The Reed School/Westover Library building currently serves as an interim facility for the Stratford Program.

A joint review of the proposed project by the Public Facilities Review Committee and Building Level Planning Committee began in October 2017. During an extensive public engagement process, several County advisory commissions reviewed the proposed project, and the Arlington Public School Board has approved the schematic design. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 27 on the agenda.

Four Mile Run Valley Area Plan:The Board will hold a public hearing and consider adopting the draft Four Mile Run Valley Area Plan, focused around the Four Mile Run stream and floodplain. The plan, together with the Four Mile Run Valley Parks Master Plan and Design Guidelines adopted by the Board in September 2018, offers a comprehensive vision, policy framework and specific strategies that will guide future development in the area bounded by Interstate 395 to the east, Arlington Mill Drive to the south, Barcroft Park to the west and Four Mile Run Drive to the north. Four Mile Run Valley is one of the only remaining contiguous areas planned and zoned for industrial uses in Arlington and is home to 23 acres of parks. The Four Mile Run Valley planning process was initiated in 2016 as a comprehensive planning effort. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 26 on the agenda.

County Seal

2019 General Assembly Legislative Package: The Board will hold a public hearing on the draft 2019 General Assembly Legislative Package, before voting on it at its December 15, 2018 meeting. The 2019 General Assembly session will begin on January 9, 2019.

Priorities in the draft package include fully funding K-12 education; ensuring dedicated transportation funding that is stable and predictable for both capital projects and transit operations; re-examining assumptions that led to reduced funds for Community Services Boards in Fiscal Year 2019 and Fiscal Year 2020, and if reimbursements for new Medicaid enrollments do not equal the reductions, restore the difference in current and future funding.

Other priorities include reconciling federal tax changes and court decisions by adopting statutory changes that will enable Virginia to collect sales and use taxes from internet sales and ensuring extra revenue coming to Virginia from the Federal Tax Cut and Jobs Act is used to meet state and local priorities. To read the staff report and view the legislative package, scroll to Item No. 28 on the agenda.

The Board will take all public comments into consideration before voting on the draft package in December, and will hold a work session with the Arlington General Assembly delegation. County staff worked with the County’s boards and commissions, departmental staff, the public and County Board members through the summer and fall to develop the draft package.

Neighborhood Conservation Funding: The Board will consider approving $2.92 million in Neighborhood Conservation bond funds for two Neighborhood Conservation projects. The projects, recommended by the Neighborhood Conservation Advisory Committee, would use the last funding from the 2016 Neighborhood Conservation Bond approved by Arlington voters. One project would make street improvements and install streetlights on N. Monroe Street, from 17th Street N to 3612 19th Street N, in Cherrydale and the other would improve Edison Park on N. Edison Street in Arlington Forest. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 17 on the agenda.

At its September Meeting, the Board held an hours-long public hearing on the proposed expansion, then issued guidance to the hospital to work out specific details of the proposed design with neighbors. The public hearing on this item is closed, and the matter will be before the Board for a final decision at the November meeting. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 33 on the agenda. (The staff report for this item will be posted the week of November 12 through 27).

In a separate, related action, the Board will consider accepting a grant from Virginia Hospital Center to fund a licensed clinician for five years to provide adolescent behavioral health crisis stabilization services. To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 34 on the agenda. (The staff report for this item will be posted the week of November 12 through 16).

FY 2020 Budget Guidance/FY 2018 Close-Out: The Board will hold public hearings on its budget guidance for Fiscal Year 2020 and the proposed use of FY 2018 close-out funds. The County Manager has noted that the projected increase in revenues for FY 2020 is not keeping pace with budget pressures in expenditures, creating an expected budget gap of $20 million to $35 million for the fiscal year that may be closed through a combination of revenue increases and/or service reductions. To read the staff reports, scroll to Items No. 30 and 31 on the agenda. (The staff reports for these items will be posted the week of November 12 through 16).

$3 Million CDBG funds loan to renovate The Carlin, a senior housing project: The Board will consider approving a $3 million federal Community Development Block Grant fund loan to renovate The Carlin, a senior housing project at 4435 N. Pershing Drive. Most of the residents of the 162-unit, 10-story building in the Ballston Metro corridor are low-income retirees who are 60 years old or older. Sixty percent live on less than $20,000 a year. The loan would be made to the Retirement Housing Foundation, one of the nation’s largest non-profit developers and managers of housing and services for older adults, persons with disabilities and low-income families.

Under the proposed agreement, the County will require that 161 of the 162 units be committed affordable for 60 years (one will be a management office). Fifty-nine units will be restricted to seniors earning at or below 50 percent the Area Median Income (AMI), an increase of 26 very-low-income units in the building. The remaining 102 units will be restricted at or below 60 percent of AMI. Residents will be housed on-site in “swing” apartments during renovations planned to be phased over 18 months.

To read the staff report, scroll to Item No. 32 on the agenda. (The staff report for this item will be posted the week of November 12 through 16).